uplifting owl tale - laguna national...vious edition of laguna lifestyle, laguna national also takes...

Uplifting Owl Tale

July to September 2019

Beware Sumatra Squall • Leadbetter Golf Academy Tips

For your personalised consultation, please contact our Senior Membership Manager,Maggie Tuya at +65 6248 1706 or [email protected]

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LAGUNA NATIONALFIVE-YEAR TERM MEMBERSHIPEnjoy limited time offer at $45,000*

• Full golfing privileges at Laguna National's two world-class courses.

• Spouse and children (below 21 years of age) included under the membership with no additional fees.

• Invite up to three guests for golfing.

• Enjoy member prices at our award-winning restaurant, The Nest.

• Access international reciprocal clubs.

• Preferred rates at Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore Resort Hotel.

ContributorsPatrick BowersWith more than 25 years of experience, Patrick has managed 60 high-end clubs across 30 countries and 5 continents. His career highlights include 9 years with IMG where he worked for Tiger Woods and was appointed as Vice President of Sports & Golf for Dubai Event Management Corporation by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.

Stephen moriarTyAn experienced British PGA-qualified Professional and Leadbetter Senior Certified Instructor with a proven track record of establishing, developing and growing the Leadbetter brand in new locations, Englishman Stephen enjoyed spells in Korea and Indonesia before assuming responsibility for the setting up and running of the Leadbetter Golf Academy at Laguna National.

Spencer RobinsonHaving cut his journalistic teeth in England, Spencer arrived in Hong Kong in 1984 to assume an editorial position at the South China Morning Post. In 2002 he moved to Singapore. During the course of the past 3 dec-ades he has been a close observer of Asian sport, writing and commentat-ing for leading media including ESPN and Fox Sports.

Dr Jay-Lee NairBased in Singapore, Jay-Lee is a sports psychologist with Mental Notes Con-sulting. During her college days in the United States she played NCAA Divi-sion I golf with academic All-American honours. A Laguna National member, Jay-Lee is passionate about helping young golfers to achieve their full po-tential in both golf and studies.

Mark BatesA PGA of Canada professional, Mark has over 20 years’ experience in the golf industry and is a self-proclaimed ‘Golf Nut’ who lives, eats and breathes golf. Mark has dedicated his career to growing the game of golf. His passion for teaching the game and enhancing enjoyment of the ‘golf experience’ can only be described as infectious.

Mark Isley Mark started his career in Florida and now boasts 35 years of experience in maintaining and managing high-pro-file golf courses, private golf clubs and major golf tournaments. For the past 27 years, Mark has made Asia his home with extended stints in Bali and Bintan before joining Laguna Na-tional as Director of Agronomy and Project Manager.

Welcome to the FamilyWe would like to extend a warm Lagunian welcome to the following

new Members who have recently joined us.

Lachlan BarnesChris Barrett

Chang Dae-chulDanny ChengDebra Drake

Masanobu HamadaClemens HesseJunichi Higuchi

Shindachi HitoshiJack JonesEmi Kanaya

Gaurav KatyalSuzuki KazutoyoMarzio Keiling

Takeyama KentaroKim Das

Kim Joo-sangMasahiko Kondo

Kenta KunoLee Kok MeeLee Seo-hyun

Lee Yong-kwangAndrew LuscombeShohei Matsushima

Magnus MatthiassonJonathan P. MilesHirohisa MurataAkio NakazatoShujiro Nara

Kohei NarasakiVivek Nath

Takahiro NittaMasao Odaira

Masahiko OkuboRalph RobinettClaudia Salem

Yoshida ShunsukeVictor Sia

Peter SongRobert KW TanEiji Tsukamoto

Gigi Wang

HighlightsJuly to September 2019

BEWARE THE SUMATRA SQUALL!Freak weather conditions caused havoc on the Masters Course at the start of May. Mark Isley, Laguna National’s Director of Agronomy and Project Manager, pays tribute to his team for their response.

WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD AND BEVERAGEAn array of enticing international flavours are on the menu at The Nest during the third quarter of 2019.

RYAN’S CLASSIC ENCOUNTEROne of the upwardly mobile stars of men’s professional golf, Ryan Fox has given his thumbs up to Laguna National Golf & Country Club’s Classic Course as a future tournament venue.

MEN’S MEMBER-GUESTThe third edition of Laguna National’s Men’s Member-Guest proved a fun-filled day of golf, games and outstanding hospitality.

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contentsJuly to September 2019

Front Cover: A violent storm that caused considerable damage to the Masters Course also resulted in an owlet being separated from its parents. Thanks to the efforts of Laguna National staff there was to be a happy family reunion. Pictures by Mark Isley.

CLUB

12 Cover Story: Beware Sumatra Squall!

15 Uplifting Owl Tale

16 Ryan’s Classic Encounter

18 Asia Pacific Junior Amateur

PEOPLE

22 Men’s Member-Guest

25 Jack of All Trades!

26 Monthly Medals

28 Leadbetter Golf Academy Instruction

PRIVILEGE

34 Reciprocal Club Focus: Ba Na Hills Golf Club

36 Mental Approach: Dr Jay-Lee Nair

38 Titleist TS4 Driver

40 Scotty Cameron Select Line

42 World Handicap System

DINING

50 What’s New in F&B

52 Signature Specials

54 Glenfiddich Whisky Dinner

55 Bottle Promotions

REGULARS

03 Welcome to New Members

07 Editor’s Message: Spencer Robinson

32 The Global Game

44 Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore Update

56 Calendar of Events

Club Directory

Hotel MainlineT 6542 6888

Golf BookingT 6248 1777 | 778 | [email protected]

Membership SalesT 6248 [email protected]

Membership ServicesT 6248 [email protected]

Membership AccountsT 6248 [email protected]

Corporate Events &Banquets (Social/Hotel)T 6248 [email protected]

Corporate &Tournament GolfT 6248 [email protected]

Food & BeverageT 6248 [email protected]

The NestT 6248 17117.00 am to 9.00 pm

[email protected]

Laguna PracticeT 6741 1111 (Main Line)T 6542 2204 (Management Office)T 6542 2200 (Bunker Lounge) T 6542 2201 (Academy Office)T 6542 2202 (Flightpath Café) T 6542 2203 (Golf Shop)[email protected]

ExecutiveManagementTeamPatrick BowersStrategic Advisor to Chairman

Eric PiattiHotel General Manager (Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore)

Lionel RobertsClub [email protected]

Ng Jin TongFinance [email protected]

Mark BatesDirector of Golf [email protected]

Mark IsleyDirector of [email protected]

Sue GanDirector of Sales & [email protected]

Victoria OonDirector of [email protected]

Tiffany OngDirector of [email protected]

Elizabeth TanDirector of [email protected]

Kevin FawkesCulinary Director(Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore)[email protected]

Maggie TuyaSenior Membership [email protected]

Stephen MoriartyLeadbetter Golf Academy [email protected]

Message from the Editor

Laguna National Golf & Coun-try Club continues to play an integral role in golf develop-ment in Singapore. The latest example comes with confirma-tion that Laguna National will be the venue for the Singapore Golf Association’s (SGA) first High-Performance Training Centre.

The Centre will be the home base for the Association’s Na-tional, Development and Junior Squad golfers, in addition to the current stable of professionals under the SGA Rookie Profes-sional Programme.

The announcement further highlights the commitment to supporting the Republic’s most talented golfers by Laguna Na-tional.

Located at Laguna National’s state-of-the-art Laguna Practice, the Centre includes a full-length driving range and world-class short game practice facilities as well as a training room which is comprised of the office of the National Coach Matt Ballard, a contemporary gym and a study area.

Kevin Kwee, Laguna’s National’s Executive Director, said: “Since its inauguration 25 years ago, Laguna National has always prided itself on making a signifi-cant contribution to golf devel-opment.

“For that reason, we’re pleased to be able to offer Singapore’s

most promising golfing pros-pects, at both amateur and pro-fessional level, the chance to hone their skills at our outstand-ing practice facility and on our two award-winning courses.”

Jerome Ng, the SGA’s General Manager, said: “Since the start of our High-Performance pro-gramme, we have envisioned to provide a more holistic train-ing environment for our national golfers. We have been glad to have received support from all the golf clubs thus far.

“Having Laguna National as the home of our training centre is a great privilege and we look for-ward to value add our partner-ship.”

The SGA has hired Austral-ian coach Ballard with the goal of pursuing excellence in na-tional and junior golf. Together with the launch of this High-Performance Training Centre, the nation’s best golfers will be well-positioned towards greater skill acquisition, education and preparation to achieve personal

excellence both on and off the course.

“I am excited we are able to form a partnership with Laguna National to create a High-Perfor-mance environment for all our players to learn, train and grow together. Our High-Performance squad now have a world-class venue they can call home for all their golf and training needs,” said Ballard.

**As was highlighted in the pre-vious edition of Laguna Lifestyle, Laguna National also takes great pride in the vast array of wildlife on and around our two courses.

As a follow-up to Low Mun Cheng’s captivating images of the mix of common and un-common birds, resident breed-ers and winter visitor birds who make their home at Laguna National, this issue includes an-other uplifting article related to wildlife at the club.

It’s a heart-warming story of the role that Laguna National staff played in bringing about the re-union of an owlet with its parents who had been separated in the aftermath of a storm that caused so much damage to trees on the Masters Course at the start of May.

If you have anecdotes and/or images of your encounters with wildlife at Laguna National, please forward to us via email at [email protected]

Having Laguna National as the home of our training centre

is a great privilege and we look forward

to value add our partnership.

Jerome Ng

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Korean Jeong Ji-roo (left) and Malaysian Zubair Mohd Firdaus (right) emerged as worthy winners of the Boys’ and Girls’ divisions in the inaugural Asia-Pacific Junior Amateur at Laguna National.

CLUB‘Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would

seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the

performance at will. But such is certainly not the case.’

Bobby Jones, Augusta National Golf Club founder and one of golf’s most influential figures

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you that Laguna National and Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore have mutually agreed on the evolution of our working relationship after nearly nine years of many significant accomplishments together.

We feel this new structure is better suited to the current and future needs of the company, while at the same time allowing me to pursue some of my personal ambitions. Moving forward, Laguna National and Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore will become an important client of my strategic advisory firm, named Vantage Pointe.

Therefore, effective June 1, 2019, my role changed to become ‘Strategic Advisor to the Chairman’ – devoting my firm to projects deemed strategic to the company’s future success. I have also agreed to remain on the Board of Directors (in a Non-Executive role).

Furthermore, my consulting will extend to advising and

supporting the Chairman on new projects, existing legacy projects and contracts, to represent Laguna with the media and authorities, and to take charge of any future international major sporting events we might promote or host.

This change means that I have handed over my previous day-to-day executive responsibilities and these duties have been redistributed to our Chairman, Executive Director and others

on our very talented executive team. However, I am pleased to share that as part of my advisory role, I will maintain an office at the club and visit on a regular basis – so I still hope to see many of you in person as I have in the past.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Chairman Peter Kwee and Executive Director Kevin Kwee for their long-standing support and confidence in me. I look forward to our new relationship moving forward. I have also had the pleasure of collaborating with an extremely talented and hard-working executive team as well at both the club and the hotel – everything we have achieved would not have been possible without contributions and support from all of them.

As I look back on the years, they seemed to fly by and we have always had some kind of major project or improvement underway.

• We have hosted two European Tour events, one Asian Tour event, two regional

Approaching from a New Vantage Point

After almost a decade as Laguna National’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Bowers looks back on some

of the highlights of his time at the helm and explains the new role he has embarked upon.

We were the first club in Singapore to successfully extend

our lease for our Members to the

maximum number of years available and the only club which has been

able to extend both courses through to the year 2040.

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PGA events, and a Korean LPGA Tour Championship.

• We have designed, constructed and opened a state-of-the-art teaching and practice facility and renovated, re-routed and future proofed the Classic Course in just 18 months.

• We have christened a ‘best-in-class’ Golf Course Maintenance Operations Centre which is the envy of the industry across Asia – all the while allowing the team to maintain the golf courses

at one of the highest quality levels in the region.

• Never wanting to settle for the status quo, we have introduced innovations to the Membership such as Moonlight Golf, Visage GPS and TopTracer Range.

• It was a pleasure to open The Nest, which at the time of opening was recognised as the ‘Best Private Clubhouse Restaurant – International’ and continues to be a talking point for our club.

Many of you may recall that in 2013 we were the first club in Singapore to successfully extend our lease for our Members to the maximum number of years available and the only club which has been able to extend both courses through to the year 2040.

And finally, it is my hope that shortly we will be cutting the ribbon on one of Asia’s only integrated golf and five-star hotel resort properties – the result of many years of hard work, planning, design and construction. I assure you it will be worth the wait.

In closing, I wish to thank the Membership for their patience and support over the years in my role serving the company as Managing Director. I look forward to still seeing you around the club in my new capacity, and please feel free to approach should you have any questions and to understand how Vantage Pointe will strategically support Laguna National.

Patrick Bowers and Peter Kwee accept an award on behalf of Laguna National.

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Patrick Bowers (left), Kevin Kwee (second left), Singapore Golf Association General Manager Jerome Ng (second right) and national coach Matt Ballard (right) at a signing ceremony to mark the launch of the SGA’s first High-Per-formance Training Centre at Laguna National’s Teaching and Practice Facility.

It is my hope that shortly we will be cutting the ribbon

on one of Asia’s only integrated golf and five-star hotel resort properties – the result of many

years of hard work, planning, design and

construction.

In the early morning hours of May 8, a weather phenomenon known locally as a Sumatra Squall was starting to make its way to Singapore. This storm began its journey over the island of Sumatra and intensified as it passed over the Malacca Straits heading towards the west coast shores of Singapore and continued to do so as it tracked eastward across the island.

By the time it reached Laguna National at around 4 am, it had become quite a powerful storm, with intense lightning, heavy rain and some very strong gusty winds around the 60 kilometre per hour mark.

As fate would have it, this just so happened to be the very week that Laguna National was playing host to the inaugural Asia Pacific Junior Amateur Championship, a Singapore Golf Association-sanctioned event. In order to ensure the Masters Course would be in great condition, the entire ground staff had been working

exceptionally hard over the period of the previous month.

Some of our programmes to prepare the course in tip-top condition for the tournament had begun three-to-four weeks earlier. A few of our programmes included:

• Lowering the greens height to 2.8 mm

• Light verti-cut and light top-dress the greens with

sand 10 days prior to the tournament.

• Start applying extra amounts of specialty type fertilisers to build up and fortify plant cell wall strength, to ensure that the plant is strong enough to withstand additional mowing, rolling and shorter cuts of height.

• Apply a plant growth regulator to slow down turf growth.

• Double cutting and double rolling the greens three to four days prior to the tournament.

Not only do the greens receive a lot of additional care and attention prior to a tournament, but all areas of the golf course require considerable extra preparation as well, such as:

(a) Green surrounds, approaches, tees and fairways receive additional light sand top-dressing, light verti-cutting, additional fertilisers, double mowing, etc.

(b) All bunkers are edged, and

Beware the Sumatra Squall!

Throughout his distinguished career tending to golf courses, Mark Isley has been accustomed to tackling challenging

situations. The latest such instance occurred in early May when freak weather conditions caused havoc on the Masters Course. In his latest article for Laguna Lifestyle, Laguna National’s Director of Agronomy and Project Manager pays tribute to his team for

their response.

What I saw upon my arrival at the course looked

like something right out of a horror

movie. Was I just having a bad

dream? I pinched myself. Sadly, it was not a figment of my

imagination.

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inspected for proper sand depth to avoid being too thin or too thick.

(c) Trees are trimmed to ensure no branches are blocking tee shots.

(d) Equipment is closely inspected so that breakdowns are minimised as much as possible.

(e) Staff scheduling is adjusted for additional work hours and earlier start times.

With all of our plans having gone even better than we dared to expect, my team and I left for home on the eve of the first round of the tournament

feeling proud of what we had accomplished during the past month.

With the course looking sensational and in anticipation of a hectic week, we were early to bed, sleeping like babies and dreaming of pulling off another

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The Masters Course bore the brunt of the untimely Sumatra Squall with 20 mature trees blown over and a further 25 ripped apart.

successful event.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and challenges in store for us!

As I made my way to the club early on that Wednesday morning, I had an inkling that all was not well. En route, I noticed that the roads were wet while tree branches were lying around on the paths and sidewalks.

I could have had no idea, however, quite how bad the situation was. What I saw upon my arrival at the course looked like something right out of a horror movie. Was I just having a bad dream? I pinched myself.

Sadly, it was not a figment of my imagination. I’d had my run-ins with the occasional hurricane when I was growing up in the United States. Indeed, several times when I was working on golf courses in Florida, I’d been involved in the not so pleasant experience of cleaning up hurricane damage.

As I cast my eyes on the Masters Course at Laguna National that morning, an eerily familiar feeling filled me with dread. It was one of those déjà-vu moments. Our beautiful Masters Course looked like it had been ravaged by a hurricane or a tornado. No fewer than 20 mature trees were completely blown over and another 25 or so simply ripped apart.

By now the storm had abated. Then began the daunting task of clearing away trees, branches and leaves on greens, tees and fairways. With the commencement of a major

tournament imminent, all we could really do was clear a path and push a majority of the debris off to the side and into the rough. That way at least the players could make their way from tee to green.

Needless to say, a few additional local rules were required to deal with all the debris and water ponding. After a 6½-hour delay, the players were finally able to tee off at 2:30 pm. From that point, the 54-hole tournament proceeded without too many major disruptions. The praise from players and officials regarding the conditioning and presentation of the course was much appreciated.

Once the tournament was over, an exhausting and dangerous three-week clean-up effort was undertaken by our team. It required the use of boom lifts, lorry trucks, excavators and chain saws.

Thanks to the amazing golf course maintenance team we have, we succeeded in getting the job done, enabling us to return to something resembling normality by the start of June.

As regular readers of my Laguna Lifestyle contributions will know, I don’t miss many opportunities to appeal to Members and their guests about caring for our courses – replacing divots, raking bunkers and repairing pitch marks on the greens. In this issue, I’d like to place on record my thanks to Edward Lee, a Laguna National Member. One day as I was heading towards the fourth hole of the Classic Course, I noticed from a distance that someone was filling in many divots on one of the tees at this par-three. Upon arriving at the tee and seeing what was going on, I sincerely thanked Mr Lee for his efforts in doing his part to help make sure our golf courses stay in good condition. Remember, they are here for the enjoyment of all our Members and guests. So please take a leaf out of Mr Lee’s book and follow his excellent example!

As I cast my eyes around that

morning, an eerily familiar feeling filled me with dread. Our beautiful Masters Course looked like

it had been ravaged by a hurricane or a tornado. No fewer

than 20 mature trees were blown over and

another 25 simply ripped apart.

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Out of disaster can often emerge uplifting stories that raise spirits and warm the heart.

One such tale occurred in the aftermath of the storm that caused so much destruction on the Masters Course.

In the midst of the cleaning up operation, groundstaff were taken aback to spot a baby owl perched on a branch that had to be cut away in the middle of one of the trees that had been severely damaged.

“He was too young to fly off so, after a few minutes, we had the baby owl safely on the ground,” said Mark Isley, Laguna National’s Director of Agronomy and Project Manager.

After two days of unsuccessfully trying to reunite the owlet with its parents, advice was sought from the Jurong Bird Park.

Isley takes up the story. “They asked us to bring him to the bird park so their veterinarian could inspect him. Thankfully, he was given a clean bill of health.

“They then recommended we take him back to Laguna National and request NParks get involved in placing him

back up in the tree to see if his parents would find him.

“Sure enough, several minutes after he was placed high up in the tree and we moved away, his mom and dad flew in and they were reunited.”

It was a moving scene for the Laguna National team who had tended to the owlet they had given the name of Stalin.

Shortly after, once Stalin was able to fly, the family moved on. But Isley is looking forward to welcoming them back. He said: “As they’re migratory birds, we’re confident they’ll make their way back to Laguna National. When they do, I’m wondering what type of membership status Stalin and his parents should receive!”

Uplifting Owl Tale

Several minutes after he was placed in the tree, his mom and dad flew in and they

were reunited.

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Stalin the owlet being tended by Laguna National groundstaff, on its way to Jurong Bird Park and being reunited with its parents.

Ryan’s Classic Encounter

By his own admission, Ryan Fox has always enjoyed a stern challenge. And that’s ex-actly what the globe-trotting New Zealander got when he pitted his wits against Laguna National’s Classic Course for the first time.

Stopping off in Singapore en route to the Maybank Champi-onship in Kuala Lumpur in late March, Fox found time to tackle ‘The Beast’. The experience left a significant impression upon the winner of this year’s ISPS Handa World Super 6, whose success in Perth saw him soar into the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“My first impressions of the

golf course were that it was a really good test of golf,” said Fox, who was playing alongside Singapore-based Nick May, a childhood friend of his from New Zealand, and Laguna

National member David Rae and his wife, Anne.

After firing a bogey-free 69 from the Black Tees without holing any lengthy putts and narrowly failing with a handful of birdie chances from within 15 feet, Fox said he liked what he saw, especially ‘the great use of the water hazards and the well thought out bunkering’.

“The course is fairly generous off the tee, but punishing if you miss in the wrong place. There’s a good mix of holes. There are certainly a few birdie chances in there … but also a few holes where par is a good score,” said Fox, who also praised the con-ditioning of the course in gen-

One of the upwardly mobile stars of men’s professional golf, Ryan Fox has given his thumbs up to Laguna National Golf & Country Club’s Classic Course as a future tournament venue.

Ryan Fox shows the power that took him to victory at this year’s ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth. Picture courtesy Asian Tour.

I believe the course would stand up very well for a tournament. The

sloping greens are a great defence and they put a premium

on good iron play and coming in from

the fairway.

Ryan Fox

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David and Anne Rae with Ryan Fox (second right) and Nick May (far right) on the 18th hole of the Classic Course.

eral and the putting surfaces in particular. “The course condi-tions were great and the greens rolled well,” he said.

In keeping with his reputation for adopting an aggressive ap-proach, Fox hit a lot of drivers off the tee. It’s a strategy he would modify next time. “On a second go around, I think I would play a bit more con-servatively at a few holes to take some of the trouble out of play,” said the son of legend-ary All Black fly-half Grant Fox, part of the winning team in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.

Striking the ball prodigious dis-tances, Fox was able to capital-ise on the Classic Course’s par-fives. At the third hole he hit driver followed by four-iron to 15 feet, while an eight-iron ap-proach was all that he required at the 13th.

Playing into the wind at the monstrous 14th, Fox once more emphasised his long-hitting ability, hitting driver-driver pin high to the right of the green.

As his favourite hole, however, he nominated the par-four 18th. “That’s a really strong fin-

ishing hole – a hole that tests both your strategy and execu-tion. Into the wind off the back tees, it played seriously long and required two very good shots.”

Asked about the suitability of the Classic Classic to stage a top-level professional event, Fox said: “I believe the course would stand up very well for a tournament. On the day we played we had some relatively friendly pin positions. But I could see the course playing tough when set up in tourna-ment conditions.

“The sloping greens are a great defence of the course and they put a premium on good iron play and coming in from the fairway. With the flags tucked away you really have to control your ball well. With the greens a little faster, it would make it really tough if you were in the wrong spots on or around the greens.”

For Rae and May, the golfing outing was tinged with nostal-gia. Although they were mem-bers of the same club in New Zealand, it wasn’t until they were both in Singapore that they met, May working along-

side Rae’s wife at Fonterra, the New Zealand co-operative which is the world’s biggest producer of dairy products.

Rae, who teamed up with May to triumph at last year’s Mem-ber-Guest at Laguna National, said: “I didn’t really know Ryan before our game at Laguna, but Nick and he are friends from childhood when they learned their golf at Whitford Park Golf Club in Auckland.”

Rae himself joined Whitford in 2007 when he moved to New Zealand. By that time Fox had become a member at Royal Auckland Golf Club and was making a name for himself as an outstanding, long-hitting golfer.

Now firmly ensconced at golf’s top table, there are high hopes that the New Zealander’s rise up the ranks will continue – and also that he’ll be back at La-guna National to compete in a high-profile professional tour-nament.

“I really enjoyed my day out at Laguna National, and the golf course. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to get back out again sometime soon,” he said.

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Withstanding hurricane force winds, the inaugu-ral Asia-Pacific Junior Amateur emerged as a bright, new ad-dition to the region’s golfing calendar.

Staged over Laguna National Golf & Country Club’s Masters Course, the Singapore Golf Association (SGA)-organised event attracted promising youngsters from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malay-sia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Arab Emir-ates and Singapore.

Unfazed by inclement weather that was responsible for a 6½-hour opening-day delay as debris was cleared from the

course, Malaysian Zubair Mohd Firdaus and Korean Jeong Ji-roo emerged as worthy winners of the Boys’ and Girls’ divisions respectively.

Aimed at identifying top Asian talent and providing a pathway

to college in the United States, the 54-hole stroke play tour-nament is backed by the Yang Foundation and PXG.

Jerome Ng, the SGA’s General Manager, said: “This tourna-ment provides a competitive platform for juniors in the Asia-Pacific region and allows the top golfers to go head-to-head.

“It also offers top performers from the tournament a trip to the United States where they’ll represent an All-Star team in a friendly team tournament against the Southern Califor-nian Golf Association.”

To be staged at the acclaimed Riviera Country Club in Los An-geles in August, the event pre-sents an opportunity for players to be scouted by coaches from college teams in America.

Speaking at the Laguna Na-tional prize-giving, Ben Yang, Co-Founder of the Yang Foun-dation, said: “We’re delighted to be able to give students from around Asia the opportunity to play golf and get scholarships.

“It’s our hope to let coaches and universities in the United States know that we have tremendous

Juniors Rise to Laguna’s Masters Challenge

Laguna National Golf & Country Club’s venerable Masters Course proved a stern test for many of the region’s brightest golfing prospects

in the first edition of the Asia-Pacific Junior Amateur.

This tournament provides a

competitive platform for juniors in the Asia-Pacific region and allows

the top golfers to go head-to-head.

’Jerome Ng

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Lyn Sen (far left) and Ben Yang (far right) congratulate Jeong Joo-ri and Zubair Mohd Firdaus on their victories.

talent in Asia.”

Displaying his steel, Firdaus, a student at the Hills Golf Acade-my in Brisbane, snared a 12-foot putt on the final green to secure a tense one-stroke success.

His gutsy par after a wayward drive at the last meant he signed for a closing 73 and a three-day total of even-par 216 – one in front of Thai Denwit Boriboon-sub, who was left to rue bogeys at 16 and 17 when victory ap-peared within his sight.

Firdaus, last year’s Queensland Boys champion and a two-time winner of the Jakarta World Junior Championship who turned 17 in June, said: “This was my first time at Laguna Na-tional and I really enjoyed the layout. Standing on the tees I felt comfortable, especially at the par-fives.”

With his victory, Firdaus rose to 1,417th in The R&A World Ama-teur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and earned invitations to July’s 53rd Pacific Coast Amateur in Albu-

querque and October’s fifth Southern California Junior Am-ateur as well as two Asian De-velopment Tour tournaments in 2019.

For her part, 16-year-old Seoul student Jeong took command with an opening 67 and never came under serious threat. She followed with rounds of 74 and 69 to finish seven strokes clear of her compatriot Park Ah-reum. A further five strokes in arrears in third place was Thai Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, who had the distinction of re-cording a hole-in-one at the 153-yard 12th hole.

Jeong, 544th in the WAGR, re-ceived invites to the CTBC Bank China LPGA, the CTBC Bank Taiwan LPGA and the Southern California Junior Amateur.

“This is my first trip to Singa-pore and I’m so impressed with Laguna National. It’s been a privilege to play here,” said Jeong, who hopes to follow a well-trodden path among Kore-ans to the LPGA Tour in Amer-ica.

Singapore’s top male perform-er was Sean Lee, who claimed fourth place on a countback af-ter rounds of 76, 72 and 74. Inez Ng led the local girls ending fifth on 225.

Outstanding performances also came from Laguna National’s groundstaff, whose selfless ef-forts enabled the tournament to be completed.

Lyn Sen, SGA Vice President, said: “More than 40 trees fell as a result of the storm before the first round and a lot of clearing

up was needed. Our thanks to the Laguna National team for preparing the course in such excellent condition.”

Kevin Kwee, Laguna National’s Executive Director, said: “Ku-dos to Mark Isley (Laguna Na-tional’s Director of Agronomy) and his staff for the remarkable job they did. Congratulations also to the winners. With so many outstanding young golf-ers, it’s clear that we can look forward to seeing Asian play-ers contending at elite amateur and professional level for many years to come.”

Leading Final ScoresBoys’ Division

216 – Zubair Mohd Firdaus (MAS) 74-69-73

217 – Denwit Boriboonsub (THA) 73-73-71

221 – Sean Jean Ramos (PHI) 77-73-71

222 – Sean Lee (SIN) 76-72-74

222 – Waris Manthorn (THA) 72-76-74

223 – Miguel Armando Ilas (PHI) 78-74-71

Girls’ Division

210 – Jeong Joo-ri (KOR) 67-74-69

217 – Park Ah-reum (KOR) 76-70-71

222 – Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (THA) 73-76-73

222 – Eagle Ace Superal (PHI) 75-73-74

225 – Inez Ng (SIN) 73-73-79

227 – Deng Jingfan (CHN) 80-72-75

Zubair Firdaus reacts after holing the winning putt.

Club 19

Jack Wong has assumed the role of Golf Operations and Member Services Manager at Laguna National. Picture by Mave Liau.

PEOPLE‘Try to get winded 30 minutes a day. Whether it’s climbing stairs in your house, riding an exercise bike or jumping rope, the key is to get at least

slightly out of breath for 30 minutes. It’s practically impossible to be badly out of shape if you do this

each and every day.’

Gary Player, South African golfing great and fitness guru

Mike Kerr and Nick Cald-well were not alone in dancing in the moonlight after a memorable climax to Laguna National’s third Men’s Member-Guest tournament.

A regular feature on leader-boards at Laguna National monthly medals, Kerr and his guest edged out four other pairings in a Moonlight Golf Shootout to set the seal on a day that will live long in the memory of those who partici-pated.

“Thanks to the team at Laguna National. Over my 35 years of playing golf, that was the best

Member-Guest event I’ve taken part in,” said John Ryan, echo-ing the sentiments of many of those in the field.

In addition to 18 holes on the Classic Course, participants en-joyed a variety of novelty events including a Heineken 0.0 Beach Party, Big Baby Drive and Skee Golf Challenge, an array of gifts and prizes as well as outstand-ing food and beverage service throughout the day.

Using a System 36 Two-Man

Dancing in the Moonlight!

The third edition of Laguna National’s Men’s Member-Guest proved a fun-filled day of golf, games and outstanding hospitality.

Mike Kerr and Nick Caldwell celebrate their victory in the Men’s Member-Guest.

People22

Team format, Kerr and Caldwell amassed 77 Stableford points to finish second behind Ste-phen Bishop and Mark Bufton, who gelled brilliantly to post an 82-point haul.

With vocal support from the gallery gathered at The Nest, Kerr and Caldwell then fended off the challenge of four other duos in the 100-yard Moonlight Golf shootout on the 18th hole of the Masters Course.

The final result was determined by combining the distance from the pin of the shots of both players. For Kerr and Caldwell that was 24 feet, eight inches, more than four feet better than runners-up Mark Sheldon and Robert Hands.

Third place went to Allan Muir and Wade Bhatti with Bishop and Bufton having to settle for fourth.

Mark Bates, Laguna National’s Director of Golf, said: “The idea of a Member Guest event is to provide our members with the opportunity to showcase our club and invite their guests to take part in the great camara-derie that exists at Laguna Na-tional.

“From the outset, we said that the primary aim is that everyone has a fun day out. On that score, it’s certainly not disappointed.

“Although we’ve only complet-ed the third year of the event,

it’s quickly become one of the most popular dates on the La-guna National golfing calen-dar.”

Prior to teeing-off, all players were presented with a variety of door gifts and lunch at The Nest.

On the course, numerous food, drink and activity stations were strategically set up. Particu-larly popular were the Skee Golf Challenge (won by Tommy Rathleff), Closest to the Curve (won by Sadegh Mortazavy), Big Baby Drive which saw play-ers teeing-off with kids clubs (won by Chris Holloway with a mighty blow of 164 metres), and the Heineken 0.0 Beach Party which highlighted how you can now have a beer before you drive (or tee off), participants trying their hand at hitting a tar-get with a beach volleyball shot.

For the second year in succes-sion, separate hole-in-one and hole-in-two prizes went un-claimed.

Among the prizes were Titleist custom-fit TS Drivers, SM7 brushed steel wedges as well as Titleist and FootJoy-branded travel covers and golf bags.

Meanwhile, dinner was high-lighted by a BBQ meat-fest, presented by Huber’s Butchery, while Heineken and PengWine flowed freely.

Bates said: “On behalf of the

management at Laguna Na-tional, a sincere thank you once again to all the participants and sponsors for their support. I’m sure our Member-Guest event will continue to go from strength-to-strength.”

Leading Scores1, Stephen Bishop and Mark Bufton – 82 points

2, Mike Kerr and Nick Caldwell – 77 points

3, Matthew Pollard and Rahul Raj – 76 points

4, Mark Sheldon and Robert Hands – 76 points

5, Allan Muir and Wade Bhatti – 74 points

6, Patrick Rona and Sean Brennan – 73 points

7, Dougal Aitken and Tommy Rathleff – 73 points

8, John McKean and Robert Forsythe – 73 points

Moonlight Golf Shootout

1, Kerr and Caldwell (24 feet, 8 inches)

2, Sheldon and Hands (29 feet)

3, Muir and Bhatti (46 feet, 7 inches)

4, Bishop and Bufton (67 feet)

5, Pollard and Raj (91 feet)

Sponsors’ Competition1, Andrew Rogers and Gene Saunders (Heineken) – 80 points

2, Jeremy Beadles and Joe Chilcott (Heineken) – 76 points

Supported by

People 23

Fun and games were the order of the day at the third edition of Laguna National’s Men’s Member-Guest tournament.

Supported by

People24

From caddie to coach and rules guru to tournament director, there are few areas in golf which Jack Wong has not experienced during more than a decade in the industry.

A familiar figure on the Singa-pore golfing scene, Wong has seamlessly adapted to the role of Golf Operations and Mem-ber Services Manager at Laguna National, where he is heading up the Club’s golf operations team as well as the team at cus-tomer service.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Indone-sian, Wong joined Laguna Na-tional after two years at Keppel Club as Senior Executive (Golf Operations) and a four-year

stint at Warren Golf & Country Club as Golf Manager.

Mark Bates, Laguna National’s Director of Golf Operations, said: “Jack brings an energy and passion for his work in golf that we know will have an impact both on our growing team and the experience being put forth to our Members and guests.”

Prior to breaking into golf, Malaysian-born Wong’s work-ing career began as General Manager at the Double Dragon Chinese Buffet Restaurant in America followed by a posi-tion as accountant at the Frank Fletcher Auto Group.

It was from 2006 to 2011 that Wong learned the golfing ropes at the acclaimed Alotian Club in Arkansas.

There, he performed caddying duties and worked on various charity tournaments involving golfing greats Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

He also qualified as a First Tee Coach, co-ordinating golf tour-naments and outreach pro-grammes and mentoring and coaching junior participants in life skills through the game of golf.

In 2013 he returned to Malaysia where he briefly held the posi-tion as General Manager at the Galax Garden Centre before resuming his golfing journey in Singapore, first at Keppel Club and then Warren.

An MBA degree coupled with a strong background in business marketing and financial man-agement stood him in good stead at Warren, where he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day golf operations as well as preparing and managing event budgets, designing and creating attractive corporate golf event packages and con-ducting golf rules workshops.

“I’m delighted to join Laguna National at this exciting time for the Club,” said Wong. “I very much look forward to the chal-lenges that lie ahead.”

Jack of all Trades!

Laguna National has welcomed Jack Wong into the fold as the Club’s new Golf Operations and Member Services Manager.

Jack Wong, Laguna National’s Golf Operations and Member Services Manager.

People 25

Teenagers Kavya Keshav and Darryl Tan upstaged their more senior rivals as youth tri-umphed over experience in La-guna National Golf & Country’s Club June Monthly Medal.

Underlining their potential, Ke-shav and Tan were among the prize-winners following mature performances over the Masters Course in the stroke play event that attracted a 65-strong field.

With a handicap index of 5.6, the 15-year-old Keshav had the distinction of being the only female to break 80. Thanks to a 79, she secured the award for the Best Gross score among the ladies.

Tan was also in impressive form. Playing off a handicap index of 4.1, the 16-year-old fired a two-over-par 74 off the black tees. That was good enough for him to win Best Nett in Men’s Divi-sion ‘A’, for single-figure handi-cap players.

Also entering the winners’ enclosure in June was in-form Cheng Xiangang who swept aside his challengers in Men’s Division ‘C’ with an eye-catching nett 62 – no fewer than 10 strokes better than his handicap.

It completed a successful spell for Cheng, who also topped the standings in the Men’s Division

‘B’ in May when he amassed 38 Stableford points over the Clas-sic Course.

Another two-time Monthly Medal winner during the sec-ond quarter was Jujhar Singh. The 23-handicapper followed up a round of 91 in April that won him Best Gross in Men’s Division ‘C’ by compiling a win-ning 36-point haul in May.

Teenagers to the Fore

Laguna National’s Monthly Medals during the second quarter of 2019 highlighted some familiar names and also a couple of fresh faces.

April Medal/Rolex Golf Challenge Qualifying Round

Men’s Division ‘A’

Best Gross: 73 – Sean Lee

Best Nett: 72 – John Ryan

Men’s Division ‘B’

Best Gross: 83 – Nitin Sibal

Best Nett: 68 – Lim Peng Peng

Men’s Division ‘C’

Best Gross: 91 – Jujhar Singh

Best Nett: 66 – Gersom Vetuz

Ladies Division

Best Gross: 83 – Michelle Bang Mi-kyung

Best Nett: 68 – Vicky Zan

Kavya Keshav (left) and Darryl Tan (right) receive their prizes from Jack Wong.

People26

Other divisional winners in May were Edina Szalkai and Sumit Mahendra, whose handicap was adjusted to 9.9 after he re-turned a nett 65 in the February Medal.

Meanwhile, the quartet of John Ryan, Lim Peng Peng, Gersom Vetuz and Vicky Zan earned the right to fly the flag for Laguna National at Singapore’s 2019 Rolex Golf Challenge.

Ryan, Lim, Vetuz and Zan were the Nett Score winners in their respective categories in the April Monthly Medal, which dou-bled up as the Club’s Rolex Golf Challenge Qualifying Round.

A nine-handicapper, Ryan posted an 81 over the Masters

Course, a birdie on 18 enabling him to lead the way in Men’s Di-vision ‘A’ with a nett 72.

In Men’s Division ‘B’ it was 20-handicapper Lim who emerged victorious after post-ing a gross 88.

Vetuz, playing of 24, covered the back nine in 42 en route to a 90 that translated into a nett 66.

In the most hotly-contested category, 13-handicapper Zan edged out Doreen Toh Siew Lan (18) and Sharon Kong Yoke Ping (20) on a countback after all three ladies signed for nett 68s.

Having eked out 10 pars during her gross 81, Zan was a worthy winner.

May Medal


1, Sumit Mahendra – 40 points

2, Aaron Warnke – 36 points


1, Cheng Xiangang – 38 points

2, Rhee Sang Bo – 36 points


1, Jujhar Singh – 36 points

2, John Ng – 32 points

Ladies Division

1, Edina Szalkai – 38 points

2, Connie Hong – 37 points

June Medal


Best Gross: 79 – Dustin Wilburn (on countback)

Best Nett: 69 – Darryl Tan


Best Gross: 84 – Andrew Kemp (on countback)

Best Nett: 70 – Yasuhito Imaizumi


Best Gross: 88 – Sam Ahmed

Best Nett: 62 – Chen Xiangang

Ladies Division

Best Gross: 79 – Kavya Keshav

Best Nett: 70 – Dily Ng

April's Men's Division 'C' winner Jujhar Singh is congratulated by Lynn Chia.

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Getting to Grips with Putting

A question I often get asked by students of all levels is: ‘What are good basics when it comes to putting?’

Given that we see professionals using a wide variety of putters and different putting styles, it’s hardly surprising that amateur golfers are somewhat confused at which is the best option for them. After all, there are different postures, different stances, different grips … and different putter designs.

Ultimately, these men and women who play the game for a living are looking for the same thing as the rest of us – a stroke which is repeatable and a putter face which doesn’t rotate much.

So, what exactly is a repeatable stroke – and how do we build one?

I prefer students to move the putter head the same length backwards and forwards as there are two major benefits to doing this. Firstly, it ensures

the student doesn’t decelerate through impact. Secondly, it helps reduce hand action. The feeling of swinging the putter head the same length on the backswing and follow through needs to be controlled by the bigger muscles of your body. This means using a grip that promotes feel but also gives you control over the putter head.

The following examples are explained for a right-handed player.

The conventional gripTo commence, place your left hand on the club with your right hand below. Place the putter

grip into the palm of the hand so it’s running from the top of the palm near the index finger to just below the heel pad. Both hands have equal grip pressure which should be light. It’s very simple and will feel similar to your normal grip (Picture 1).

There are numerous variations to the conventional grip.

• Index finger of the left hand connects on top of the fingers of the right hand (Picture 2). This can be a good position for anyone who feels that they have excessive right-hand movement and flips the putter head. The left index finger being extended

Known as a game within a game, there’s no denying the importance of putting. Indeed, if you take an average of two putts per hole then you’re relying on one club being used for

40 per cent (or more) of your total number of strokes. So, you’d better make sure you’re on good terms with your flatstick, says Stephen Moriarty, Academy Director at the Leadbetter Golf

Academy at Laguna National Golf & Country Club.

There are two major benefits

to swinging the putter head the

same length on the backswing and

follow through.

People28

Picture 1

The Leadbetter Golf Academy (LGA) is housed at Laguna National’s state-of-the-art Laguna Pratice, located at 610A Upper East Coast Road, 465404.

helps place more cup in the left wrist, making it more difficult for the hands to break down.

• With no connection between the hands, the 10-finger grip can be a good variation for those who struggle with creating speed. On larger greens this can be useful for adding speed without feeling like the swing isn’t too big and out of control. The image (Picture 3) shows the hands open, illustrating the position of the fingers.

• Cross-handed (Picture 4). This is a grip that may feel awkward initially, but is worth

sticking with if a conventional grip isn’t working for you. Several great putters have used this method. Due to the left hand being lower, the shoulders sit more level at address and can help golfers align correctly and square up a misfiring stroke. Over the years I’ve had students who have preferred this grip for short putts and switched back to a more conventional grip for longer ones.

• Thumbs opposite each other (Picture 5). If the cross-handed grip hasn’t worked for you in the past this may be an option worth trying. Like the cross-handed grip it helps keep the

shoulders level at address and makes it far easier to align your body and arms correctly. You should also feel the pressure between your hands is similar.

• The claw grip (Picture 6). Since changing to this grip, Justin Rose’s ‘putts gained’ stats have been off the charts. He initially switched to it as he was missing putts left under pressure. This grip style takes away some of the dominance that right handed players can have in their bottom hand. There are variations to the position of the right hand, but essentially you want the grip to rest between the thumb and index finger.

There are not many aspects of golf that have quite so many variations as putting. When you’re next on the putting green you might like to try out some of these methods to see what works best for you. My advice is to experiment until you find a style that is comfortable for you and helps balance some of your bad tendencies.

People 29

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

The 12th hole at the IMG-managed Ba Na Hills Golf Club in the foothills of the famed Ba Na Hills on Vietnam’s central coast.

PRIVILEGE'Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ballwill make you the winning-est winner of all.'

Dr Seuss, children’s author, political cartoonist and animator

THE GLOBAL GAME

As an esteemed Member of Laguna National Golf & Country Club, not only do you and your family have privileged access to our award-winning championship courses and Club facilities, but also you are privy to an exclusive collection of more than 250 prestigious golf properties around the world.

This quarter, we have added a number of new reciprocal and affiliate clubs, including Bah-rain’s Royal Golf Club, Highlands Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Austria’s Diamond Country Club.

In Europe, there have also been some notable additions to the list in France and Ger-many, including UGOLF Cour-son and Golf du Domaine de Feucherolles (in France) and

Golfclub Berlin Prenden, Golf-park Soltau, Wittelsbacher

Golfclub & Hotel, Golfclub Hamburg Gut Waldhof and Golf & Country Club Brunstorf (all in Germany).

To learn more about the life-style and golfing privileges that you can enjoy under our ‘Af-filiate and Reciprocal Clubs’ pro-gramme, please contact Club Concierge at 6248-1779. You may also preview the full list of Affiliate and Reciprocal Clubs and request for your ‘Introduc-tion Card’ at http://www.laguna-national.com/golf/affiliate-recip-rocal-clubs/

PACIFIC LINKS RESERVATION

To make a booking at Pacific Links’ network of clubs, email Pacific Links at [email protected] or visit www.pacificlinks.com/bookingonline

Be invited into a world of privileged access with your Laguna National golfing membership.

Royal Golf Club in Bahrain offers a challenging test.

As an esteemed Member of Laguna

National Golf & Country Club, not only do you and your family have

privileged access to our award-winning

championship courses and Club facilities, but also

you are privy to an exclusive collection of more than 250

prestigious golf properties around

the world.

32 | Privilege

Tree-lined fairways at Golfclub Hamburg Gut Waldhof.

Alternatively, you can email Club Concierge at [email protected] with your date of visit, preferred tee-time, choice of golf course, name of players, membership number(s) and any other special requests. Club Concierge will connect you to the destination club via email.

IMG PRESTIGE AND SPECIAL ACCESS CLUBS RESERVATION

To make a booking at IMG Prestige or Special Ac-cess Clubs, write to Club Concierge at [email protected] or call 6248-1779.

Club Concierge will contact the destination club, make the booking and furnish you with the appro-priate Letter of Introduction.

As many of the reciprocal/special access clubs are booked up in advance, please note that reserva-tion of tee-time is subject to availability.

You are highly recommended, therefore, to con-tact Club Concierge well ahead of your travel

dates so they can assist in booking the club of your choice or help to suggest alternatives.

Please do not contact overseas clubs directly as a Letter of Introduction from your home club is compulsory.

We thank you for your co-operation and hope to continue making your golf journey a memo-rable one.

Golfclub Berlin Prenden offers out-standing practice facilities.

Privilege 33

Ba Na Hills Beckons

If stunning panoramas and undulating greens tickle your fancy, then it’s time to add Ba Na Hills Golf Club, located at the foothills of the famed Ba Na Hills on Vietnam’s Central Coast, to your bucket list.

Managed by IMG, the course that was sculpted by former world number one Luke Donald and is set among some of the most impressive mountain rang-es in the region is among half-a-dozen outstanding golfing venues in and around Danang, Vietnam’s fourth largest city.

“To be able to work on my first ever golf course design at Ba Na Hills is a tremendous opportu-nity. We have a great site with good elevation change and in-credible existing natural features including large trees, streams and mountain backdrops,” said Englishman Donald, whose work has already garnered global ac-colades.

As well as being named Viet-nam’s Best Course in 2017 and 2018, Ba Na Hills was awarded ‘Asia’s Best Golf Course’ at the World Golf Awards.

Stretching to a distance of 7,858 yards from the championship tees, the par-72 layout is the longest in Vietnam. If you’re not a long hitter don’t be put off. In

total there are five sets of tee boxes with the whites playing to a friendly and manageable

6,022 yards. Indeed, the course succeeds in providing a balance of challenge, enjoyment and ex-citement to gofers of all levels and abilities.

“The front nine is somewhat more traditional forest/parkland in style, while the back nine winds its way through the twists and turns of the surrounding hill-side,” said Tim Haddon, Gener-al Manager at Ba Na Hills.

“The bunkering style is impres-sively bold with grass rolled over the faces leaving the sand partly visible from the tees. The greens feature subtle undulations and

encourage a variety of approach shots.”

Every hole and vantage point is framed by a backdrop of local native forest. The entire course is floodlit from the first tee un-til the 18th green, allowing pa-trons the unique experience of enjoying a round of golf in the evening or as the sun sets over the surrounding mountains. The course is lit until 9 pm on select-ed days. Make sure you have a prior reservation.

Whether you’re a beginner or an elite amateur, if you’re look-ing to hone your game, the Ba Na Hills Golf Club PGA Acad-emy offers a holistic teaching philosophy along with state-of-the-art technology, including Trackman 4.

“Our specialist team has created a variety of golf improvement programmes and packages that takes into consideration your personal golf objectives and equally your available time,” said Haddon.

Food and beverage are also on the menu at Ba Na Hills. While dining on a selection of local and international delicacies from the air-conditioned clubhouse restaurant, take in 180-degree panoramic views of the golf course.

A mountain course with a diverse mix of natural topography and vegetation, Ba Na Hills Golf Club is becoming an increasingly

popular getaway for members of Laguna National.

The team at Ba Na Hills Golf Club looks forward to

welcoming esteemed members of Laguna

National Golf & Country Club on your next visit to

Central Vietnam.

Tim Haddon, General Manager, Ba

Na Hills Golf Club

Privilege 34

An aerial shot of the Ba Na Hills Golf Club.

Alternatively, The Terrace pro-vides an outdoor seated area a short pitch away from the 18th green where you can relax in comfort while watching your playing partners finish their round.

For those seeking a more se-cluded experience, private din-ing is available in two spacious rooms that can seat up to 25 people with additional casual seating and private terrace.

Less than half-an-hour from

downtown Danang and Danang International Airport, the Ba Na Hills course is easily accessible to iconic tourist attractions, in-cluding UNESCO listed sites such as Marble Mountain, the Cham Islands and Son Tra Pen-insula.

Haddon said: “The team at Ba Na Hills Golf Club looks forward to welcoming esteemed mem-bers of Laguna National Golf & Country Club on your next visit to Central Vietnam.

“Voted Vietnam’s Best Course in 2017 and 2018 by World Golf Awards, at the IMG-managed Ba Na Hills Golf Club we are sure that you will enjoy not only the golf experience but also the tastes, sights and sounds of wonderful Danang as a destina-tion.”

*Ba Na Hills Golf Club is part of the IMG Prestige network, ena-bling Laguna National Members to receive a special rate. Con-tact Golf Concierge for further details.

Name: Ba Na Hills Golf ClubAddress: An Son Hamlet, Hoa Ninh Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang City, VietnamNumber of holes: 18Designer: Luke DonaldT: +84 (0)2363 924-888E: [email protected] W: www.banahillsgolf.com

Privilege 35

‘Feel’ the Benefit

What are you to do when you’re putting touch inexplicably deserts you? In an exclusive article for Laguna Lifestyle, sports psychologist Dr Jay-Lee Nair suggests some drills to help you

regain your confidence on the greens.

When putting problems rear their head and dent confidence on the greens, most golfers either revert to a new putter, change their put-ting grip or adjust their tech-nique in some way.

I have even witnessed great players switch to putting left-handed in a bid to find lost form in their putting.

Generally, though, we tend to gravitate towards technical changes as a quick fix. Putting

mechanics are great for when you’re on the practice green. But once you step onto the course, in order to sink more putts your brain actually needs to connect with images and feelings.

That’s where the greatest play-ers tend to excel.

Masterful putters aren’t neces-sarily the one’s with a putting stroke that looks pretty or is technically perfect. The best putters rely on ‘feel’ – the qual-

Dedicating time to practice drills on the putting green will lead to increased confidence … and help you roll the ball into the hole more often.

The more we focus on the technical

elements of putting during a round of

golf, the less we are able to focus on feeling the speed

and seeing the line, which ultimately are the key ingredients for making putts in

clutch situations.

Privilege 36

ity of the execution of the putt in terms of physical sensation and overall accuracy of the putt.

From a psychological perspec-tive, the more we focus on the technical elements of putting during an actual golf round, the less we are able to focus on feeling the speed and seeing the line, which ultimately are the key ingredients for making putts in clutch situations with-out hesitating.

‘Feel’ in putting may seem like an elusive concept. For most golfers, great feel can hap-pen as if by chance. One day you have it and the next day it’s gone, leaving you wonder-ing how you found it in the first place. The truth of the matter is, in order to increase the con-sistency of feel in your putting you have to train it.

Following are a couple of unique drills that are designed to help you feel and visualise your putts at a higher level. Dedicating time to this style of training on the putting green will lead to increased confi-dence … and help you roll the ball into the hole more often.

Drill #1 – Guess the Speed

Distance: Longer range putts, 15-20 feet from the hole.

Instructions: Keep your eyes

down at the ball after it has left your putter. Do not look up to see where the ball has finished until you ‘guess’ whether you feel it finished ‘long’, ‘short’ or ‘to-the-hole’.

Goal: The goal is to match your judgment of the putt (ie, short, long or to-the-hole) with the actual result. Continue the drill until you achieve this consist-ently.

This exercise is great for im-proving distance control with your putting and will enhance your ability to visualise the dis-tance and feel the speed of the putt.

Drill #2 – Visualising the Bucket

For long-range putts, we ide-ally aim to finish the ball within a one-metre radius around the hole. However, most players don’t consciously visualise this one-metre radius. Instead, they focus on the much smaller cir-cumference of the hole, which can be visually intimidating.

Distance: Longer range putts, 15-20 feet from the hole.

Instructions: Visualise a large bucket around the hole and aim to finish your putt in this space.

Goal: Aim to achieve seven out of 10 putts within the one-me-tre radius around the hole.

When we open our mind to vis-ualising a larger circle around the hole for longer-range putts we are synchronising the visual-istion and feel of the putt with the intended outcome. You will naturally feel more confident in finishing the ball within a make-able range and you will see significant changes in your dis-tance control over time.

Drill #3 – Firm and True

Over shorter putts, there can be a tendency to ‘guide’ the putt into the hole with a rigid, cautious stroke. However, to create greater accuracy with short putts you should aim to feel a smooth, flowing stroke through the ball. This drill can help you achieve that feeling.

Distance: Shorter range putts, three-to-four feet.

Instructions: On a relatively straight putt, place a ball on the front edge of the hole on a centreline through the cup. Now putt a ball three-to-four feet from the hole and hit it firm enough to drop both balls into the cup.

Goal: This drill will force you to focus on hitting the putt firmly through the ball to the hole.

Enjoy immersing your mind in these exercises. In time you will see the improvements in your putting that you’re looking for.

Visit Dr Jay-Lee Nair at the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre to learn how to shape your performance process.

LOCATION 10 Sinaran Drive Novena Medical Center, #08-07 to 11, #08-32 to 33, Singapore 307506 | TELEPHONE 6737 1000

Privilege 37

Titleist Unveils Ultra-Low Spin TS4 Driver

An ultra-low spin design with Titleist Speed, the TS4 driver is now available in golf shops.

Titleist says its TS4 is the ultra low-spin driver that still produces exceptional ball speed.

Titleist

’s TS4

drivers

are av

ailable

at

Laguna

Nation

al

Golf &

Count

ry

Club’s

Pro Sh

op

with sp

ecial pr

icing

for Me

mbers.

Privilege 38

The introduction of the new Titleist TS4 driver provides golfers seeking ultra-low spin performance with the speed and distance gains that have made Titleist TS2 and TS3 the most played driver models this season on the PGA Tour.

The new TS4, which made its debut at April’s Valero Texas

Open, is engineered to be a high-speed ultra low-spin de-

sign – challenging the notion that a driver designed for ex-treme spin reduction can’t pro-duce this level of ball speed.

Available in golf shops and select fitting locations begin-ning from late June, TS4 merg-es technologies developed through the Titleist Speed Pro-ject with a low, forward Centre

TS drivers have exceeded all our

expectations, both on Tour and with golfers around the world.

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of Gravity (CG) that neutralises spin to produce a longer, more piercing ball flight.

Josh Talge, Vice President of Marketing, Titleist Golf Clubs, said: “TS drivers have ex-ceeded all our expectations, both on Tour and with golf-ers around the world. When it comes to driver performance, TS has shown that it’s no longer a one or two-horse race.

“While we know most golfers find their best fit in a TS2 or TS3 driver, there is a percentage of players out there with distinct performance needs, such as aggressive spin reduction.

“TS4 is the ultra low-spin driver that still produces exceptional ball speed. If you want to hit it longer but are having trouble controlling spin off the tee, TS4 was made for you.”

TS4 Technology and Perfor-mance

The innovations used to drive ball speed in TS2 and TS3 driv-ers have been optimised for TS4’s 430 cc Speed Chassis, designed to aggressively re-duce spin and maximise dis-tance for high-spin players:

• Ultra-Thin Titanium Crown. The thinnest cast titanium crown (20% thinner than 917 drivers) in the game allows weight to be redistributed low and forward for reduced spin.

• Thinner, Faster Face. The fastest face Titleist has ever made – a refined Radial VFT (variable face thickness) that reduces weight – delivers faster ball speeds and increased forgiveness. Every TS driver face undergoes a 100% CT inspection to ensure speed performance is at the maximum allowable limit.

• Streamlined Shape. The aero-dynamic design of TS4 – featuring a 430 cc classic, pear shape – reduces drag, allowing golfers to swing faster for increased club head speed and more distance.

• Low, Forward Centre of Gravity: The low and forward CG position (five mm forward versus TS2) – highlighted by the placement of the SureFit Flatweight – produces ultra-low spin for a piercing ball flight that is straighter and more consistent.

• Available in lofts of 8.5 degrees and 9.5 degrees (right-hand and left-hand) and 10.5 (right-hand).

Titleist’s patented Sure-Fit Hosel, featuring 16 in-dependent loft and lie set-

tings, allows for additional ball flight optimisation through precision fitting.

“When it comes to ultra low-spin drivers, there’s always going to be some trade-off in terms of Moment of Inertia (MOI),” Talge said. “But for those golfers who create too much spin because of the way they deliver the club head, we know through our player test-ing that TS4 can give them greater distance consistency versus what they would see in a higher-MOI product.”

For golfers who create too much spin because of the way they deliver the club head, TS4 can give

them greater distance consistency versus what they would

see in a higher-MOI product.

Free Trial and FittingsGolfers can experience the speed of TS2, TS3 – and now TS4 – by attending a Titleist Fitting Day or Trial event (including Titleist Thursdays). To book a free TS metals fitting with a Titleist Product Specialist at Laguna National, please visit https://www.titleist.com.sg/golf-club-fitting/appt/singapore

Since partnering with Titleist, Scotty Cameron has earned a position as one of the top names in golf. As the putter of choice for dozens of Tour profession-als around the world, Cameron putters have been trusted to help secure hundreds of victo-ries, including more than 30 Ma-jor championships – a record of global success that has solidified the master craftsman’s reputa-tion as the world’s premier putter maker.

To this day, Cameron continues to design the world’s finest milled putters using innovative meth-ods, new materials, classic as well as modern shapes, and concepts focused on creating clubs that perform on the game’s greatest stages, as well as in the hands of every day players around the globe who appreciate his expres-sion of the ‘Art of Putting’.

This year, Cameron has added two new mid-mallet models to his flagship line of Select putters – the Select Fastback 2 and Select Squareback 1.5. Both have been developed through feedback from the game’s best players.

Scotty’s New Select Offerings

For more than a quarter of a century, Scotty Cameron has created the finest milled putters in the world for the game’s

greatest players. In 2019, Tour-proven mid-mallets add key neck configurations to his flagship line-up.

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This year has seen the introduction of Scotty Cameron’s new Select Fastback 2 and Squareback 1.5 putters.

Available in golf shops world-wide since mid-February, the new Select models provide additional mid-mallet options for players seeking Cameron’s popular Fastback and Square-back head styles with specific neck configurations and perfor-mance characteristics:

• Select Fastback 2: Follow-ing the introduction of the

By creating the Fastback 2 with a

plumbing neck, and the Squareback 1.5 with our mini-slant neck, we’re giving

players everything they asked for …

and more.

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2018 Select Fastback model on the worldwide professional golf Tours, players immediately asked Cameron for one option – a plumbing neck. The famil-iar, confidence-inspiring set-up, which provides one shaft of off-set, has been incorporated into this rounded mid-mallet. In ad-dition to the new neck, subtle refinements have been made to the top-line for a slightly thinner look, as well as a reduction of face height.

• Select Squareback 1.5: Cam-eron’s new Squareback 1.5 in-corporates a new mini-slant neck that further squares off the overall shape and look at

address for the player seeking clean, distinct visual cues. Ad-ditionally, the draft angle has been updated to accommo-date the new neck, which also produces slightly more toe flow than its mid-bend counterpart, the Select Squareback. Simi-lar to the Fastback 2, Cameron shaved some top-line thickness for a thinner appearance from address and reduced the overall face height.

Both models adopt the Select line’s Tour-proven multi-material construction with a precision milled, MOI-enhancing 6061 air-craft aluminium face-sole compo-nent expertly designed into the 303 stainless steel putter head.

Cameron said: “Extending the Select line was all about tak-ing the feedback we got from players and incorporating it into new offerings. Shortly after we introduced the 2018 Fastback and Squareback models on Tour, players began asking for them with prototype necks.

“We are seeing more and more players gravitate to these nice, compact head shapes. They’re

not blades and not exactly mal-lets. We call them mid-mallets. By creating the Fastback 2 with a plumbing neck, and the Squareback 1.5 with our mini-slant neck, we’re giving players everything they asked for … and more.”

Select Weighting and Accesso-ries: The Fastback 2 and Square-back 1.5 feature Select-line ad-vanced stability weighting with two customisable stainless steel heel-toe weights, stepless steel shafts and supple Black and Sil-ver Matador Mid-size grips de-veloped to offer the comfort of a larger grip while maintaining responsiveness and feel.

Refined Aesthetics: Every put-ter in the Select line features a raw stainless steel finish with a unique bead blast for a radiant yet glare-resistant appearance. Smaller, double-milled ‘cherry dots’ on the sole of the Fastback 2 and the heel and sole of the Squareback 1.5 – inspired by Cameron’s familiar three bright translucent red dot theme – with simplified, engraved ty-pography represents this mod-ern, refined line.

The new Select models provide

additional mid-mallet options for players seeking Cameron’s popular Fastback

and Squareback head styles with specific neck configurations

and performance characteristics.

Scotty Cameron’s Select Fastback 2 and Squareback 1.5 putters are available at Laguna National Golf & Country Club’s Pro Shop with special pricing for Members.

Prepare for New World Handicap System

Allowing golfers to play on a fair and equitable basis around the globe is the over-riding aim of the soon-to-be implemented

World Handicap System.

Golf’s new World Handicap System (WHS), which is designed to bring the game of golf under a single set of Rules for handicapping and provide a more consistent measure of players’ ability between differ-ent regions of the world, re-mains on track for implementa-tion starting in 2020. Education has begun with events being held in Singapore, South Africa, Great Britain and Ireland, Japan, Argentina, Bra-zil, Continental Europe, Can-ada, the Caribbean and the United States.

A secure resource portal, acces-sible via www.whs.com, has also been launched to provide na-tional associations with a library of materials that they can use to help support their own educa-tion efforts.

Coinciding with this release, The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA) launched a social media video campaign to remind golfers of the eight key features of the new Rules of Handicapping and to reveal more details. These features include: • Minimum number of scores

to establish a Handicap In-dex and maximum Handi-cap Index of 54.0

• Basis of calculation of Hand-icap Index

• Acceptability of scores for handicap purposes

• Course Rating and Slope Rating

• Calculation of a Playing Handicap

• Maximum hole score for handicap purposes

The World Handicap System

is a major new initiative for the sport which will

establish a clearer and more consistent

handicapping process for golfers

throughout the world.

Martin Slumbers

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• Adjustments for abnormal playing conditions

• Frequency of updating a Handicap Index

Significant progress has been made in preparation for the roll-out of the new system, which in-cludes building a library of educa-tion materials, finalising the new Rules of Handicapping, release of the technical specifications and the continuation of testing.

Many national associations around the world are busy en-suring that their golf courses are rated in accordance with the Course Rating System and working to update local soft-ware platforms so that they are ready to apply the new Rules of Handicapping. While many countries will be ready to transition to the WHS early in 2020, given both the magnitude of the change for some jurisdictions and vary-ing seasonality throughout the world, it is anticipated that some will need more time. Martin Slumbers, Chief Execu-tive of The R&A, said: “There are many ways in which it is im-portant for golf to modernise and become more appealing for people thinking of taking up the sport and handicapping is clearly one of them. The World Handi-cap System is a major new initia-tive for the sport which will estab-lish a clearer and more consistent handicapping process for golfers throughout the world.

“We are working closely with national associations, as we do across all our core activities, to ensure they are fully prepared for the introduction of the new

system as soon as possible after it becomes available for imple-mentation.” Mike Davis, Chief Executive Of-ficer of the USGA, said: “The World Handicap System is the latest example of our work to make the game more welcom-ing. Golfers throughout the world will be able to play eq-uitably, measure their success and more fully enjoy and en-gage with the game.

“After working with national as-sociations across the world on Course Rating throughout the past 30 years and now the World Handicap System, this monu-mental collaborative effort will benefit everyone in golf.” Since its conception, the de-velopment of the WHS has fo-cused on three key goals:

(1) To encourage as many golf-ers as possible to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index;

(2) To enable golfers of differ-ing abilities, genders and nationalities to transport their Handicap Index to any course around the world and compete on a fair basis;

(3) To indicate with sufficient accuracy the score a golfer is reasonably capable of achieving on any course around the world, playing under normal conditions.

The system has been devised following extensive consulta-tion with the six existing handi-capping authorities: Golf Aus-tralia, the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) in Great Britain and Ireland, the Europe-an Golf Association (EGA), the South African Golf Association (SAGA), the Argentine Golf As-sociation (AAG) and the USGA. The Japan Golf Association and Golf Canada have also been closely involved in developing the new system. Widespread support for the WHS was expressed in an inter-national survey of 52,000 golf-ers with 76% in favour of the new system and a further 22% saying they were willing to con-sider its benefits.

Focus groups were also held in different regions of the world to elicit detailed feedback on the features of the new system, which have contributed to the finalised Rules of Handicapping. The World Handicap System will unite the golf world under a single set of handicapping rules and will be governed by the USGA and The R&A, with sup-port from the existing six handi-cap authorities. As an extension of their support of the Rules of Golf worldwide, Rolex has made a commitment to support The R&A’s and the USGA’s efforts to implement the World Handicap System.

With the World Handicap System, golfers throughout

the world will be able to play equitably,

measure their success and more fully enjoy

and engage with the game.

Mike Davis

Timeless Moments at Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore

Gem of the East: A wedding destination like no other, creating Timeless Moments for you … and with you.

Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore is blessed with an idyllic setting – perfect to host an intimate and timeless wedding celebration, holding true to its brand name Dusit Thani meaning

‘town in heaven’.

Surrounded by stunning, lush green landscapes, this stylish and elegantly refined luxury urban resort offers unique and splendid alternatives for those who wish to avoid the hustle

and bustle of the city.

Create your dream wedding with our collection of classy indoor and beautiful outdoor venues. For an additional touch of glamour, charm and luxury to mark your special day, we’ll

collect you in a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce.

Housed in the heart of the resort, the 8,073-square foot (750 square metre) Laguna Ballroom is the largest ballroom in its precinct. Standing two storeys high, it can be partitioned into three separate sections with its high ceiling, spacious and column-free design enabling all

guests to have an unobstructed view of the bridal couple and the centre stage.

Welcome your guests for pre-meal cocktails at our exquisite pre-function area. Adjoining to the ballroom, this more than 2,200-square feet (210 square metres) of open space is complemented with a viewing gallery highlighted by floor-to-ceiling hexagonal window

panels overlooking Laguna National’s award-winning Masters Course.

At Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore, guests can look forward to experiencing gracious hospitality inspired by our Thai heritage and culinary excellence at its finest where Timeless

Moments are created for you… and with you.

Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore, 11 Laguna Golf Green, Singapore 488047Tel: +65 6841 8888, Email: [email protected]


Celebrations & PartiesPackage A

S$3,888.00++ for up to 30 guestsSubsequent guests at S$110.00++ per person

Package B

S$4,888.00++ for up to 30 guestsSubsequent guests at S$138.00++ per person

WeddingsOne & Only

S$1,388.00++ per table of 10 persons / S$138.80++ per personMinimum guarantee of 25 tables / 250 persons

(Applicable on Mondays to Thursdays, excluding auspicious dates, eve of and public holidays)

Two of a Kind


(Applicable on Mondays to Fridays & Sundays, excluding Saturdays,auspicious dates, eve of and public holidays)

Luxe


(Applicable on Mondays to Sundays including auspicious dates, eve of and public holidays)

Royal Thai

S$198.80++ per personMinimum guarantee of 250 persons

(Applicable on Mondays to Sundays including auspicious dates, eve of and public holidays)

Brunch of Love

S$198.80++ per personMinimum guarantee of 250 persons

(Applicable on Saturdays & Sundays including auspicious dates, eve of and public holidays)

Gem of the East: A wedding destination like no other, creating Timeless Moments for you … and with you.

Inspiring Meetings Journey through Dusit Thani’s many distinctive spaces for a multisensory experience. For enquiries on our event venues and packages, please contact our Events Sales team at [email protected]. Discover a collection of 15 exclusive venues:• 3 Event Lawns for Outdoor Function• Laguna Ballroom• Eagle Boardroom• Albatross Meeting Room• Birdie Meeting Room• 8 Pavilions Half-day MeetingMeeting package from S$75.00++ per person Full-day MeetingMeeting package from S$95.00++ per person Meeting Privileges include:Enjoy S$10.00 off meeting package rate (per person)Complimentary welcome coffee & tea with one (1) snack itemComplimentary use of LCD projector and one (1) wireless microphone AccommodationDeluxe Laguna City View Room from S$290.00++ (single) per room per night Accommodation Privileges include:Complimentary upgrade to Deluxe Laguna Pool View RoomComplimentary daily breakfast at The Greenhouse and high speed internet connectivityComplimentary one (1) guest room for every 30 guest rooms per night for 2 nights, up to a maximum of two (2) complimentary rooms per group *Minimum booking of 10 guest rooms per night for 2 nightsValid till December 2020 (excluding blackout dates)


US Kurobuta Pork Collar is on the menu at The Nest during July.

DINING‘A restaurant is a fantasy – a kind of living fantasy in which diners are the most important members

of the cast.’

Warner LeRoy, the late New York restaurant impresario and creator of Central Park’s Tavern on the Green

WHAT’S NEW IN F&B

An array of enticing international flavours are on the menu at The Nest during the third quarter of 2019.

Reflecting the international nature of both Laguna Na-tional and Singapore, the com-ing months will see culinary fa-vourites from around the world featurin

uplifting owl tale - laguna national...vious edition of laguna lifestyle, laguna national also takes...

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